Politics

ZAGREB, May 30, 2019 - Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege has called for joint global action to help war rape victims around the world, and he thinks Croatia can contribute. Late last year, his Mukwege Foundation started the International Reparations Initiative, a global fund for survivors of wartime sexual violence. He is trying to include as many countries as possible in the Initiative, expected to come to life this year. With the fund for survivors, we can give the right answer to all victims of sexual violence, Mukwege told Hina in Carcavelos, Portugal, where he took part in an…

ZAGREB, May 30, 2019 - A military exercise was conducted on Wednesday at the Eugen Kvaternik compound in Slunj on the occasion of Distinguished Visitors Day within the Immediate Response 19 international military exercise, with the purpose of displaying combat abilities of artillery and anti-tank units and joint action. On that occasion, Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krstičević congratulated multi-national troops for excellent performance of manoeuvres and for demonstrating the power of togetherness, underscoring that he was impressed with their professionalism, dedicated work and adaptability. "That's a guarantee of lasting security of the largest and most powerful alliance in the history…

ZAGREB, May 30, 2019 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Wednesday evening in a statement for Croatian Radio Television refuted media headlines about a possible candidacy for European Commission president, saying that his appointment as one of the six negotiators from the strongest European political groups for the heads of European institutions was "a serious job of finding a consensus." "The purpose of yesterday's meeting of the European Council was primarily to summarize the emotions after the European elections," Plenković said on Wednesday evening. He refuted media speculations about his possible candidacy for European Commission president. "This is not a…

ZAGREB, May 29, 2019 - Europe has a lot to learn from China, Spanish Foreign Minister Joseph Borrell said in Zagreb on Wednesday after the talks with his Croatian counterpart Marija Pejčinović Burić which also revolved around the construction of Pelješac Bridge. "I want to emphasise the importance Spain dedicates to relations with Croatia and the wish for them to grow," said Borrell, who is a member of the Socialist government in Spain and although born in Catalonia he is one of the most ardent opponents to that province's independence. Whether it is coincidental, but Borrell's visit comes after a…

ZAGREB, May 29, 2019 - Addressing a special ceremony held in Zagreb on Tuesday on the occasion of Croatian Armed Forces' Day, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who is the supreme commander, underscored that opinion polls showed that "the Croatian people has the highest confidence in the Croatian army among all state institutions". In the last three years, we have achieved a lot. By increasing the defence budget, we have created requirements for an increased investment in the Croatian army and thus in the future of the Croatian state, she said. She spoke about the importance of continuing to upgrade the armed…

ZAGREB, May 29, 2019 - EU member states' leaders exchanged opinions at an extraordinary summit in Brussels on Tuesday on the election of the new heads of European institutions, without discussing names, and confirmed there is no automatism whereby the European Commission president becomes one of the lead candidates whom the European political groups nominated in recent elections. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said consultations would begin as of Monday to reach agreement by the end of June on the candidate the European Council would nominate for Commission president, who must be confirmed by the European Parliament. "Two paths of…

HDZ officials have a strange addiction to making shows of themselves. Sometimes they get themselves in hot water and it is tragically amusing, other times, such as when they engage in corruption, physically abuse their partners, or beat up innocent people for no reason, it isn't funny at all. One of the stranger things to come out of an HDZ official's mouth (and there have been many) is that Pamela Anderson is waging a special war against Croatia. Yes, you read that completely correctly. Pamela Anderson, from Baywatch, has apparently given up running around on a beach in slow motion with…

ZAGREB, May 28, 2019 - Mislav Kolakušić, whose is perceived by media as the biggest surprise of the European elections in Croatia on Sunday by winning a seat in the European Parliament, said on Monday he was partially satisfied with the election results, adding that he would run in the next presidential election in Croatia. Announcing his decision to run for president, Kolakušić called on citizens to go to the polls and thus prevent a minority rule over the majority. "Those who stayed home and who don't think they need to do their civil duty have enabled this, so that…

As Vedran Marjanovic/Novac writes on the 27th of May, 2019, as of June the 1st this year, Switzerland will fully open up its labour market for Bulgarian and Romanian citizens, while Croatian citizens will still have labour restrictions placed on them, and require a work permit in order to legally work within the country, which is not a member state of the European Union, according to a report from the Bulgarian State News Agency (BTA). Referring to the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, BTA states that on the 15th of May, 2019, the Swiss Federal Council decided to open its…

ZAGREB, May 28, 2019 (Hina) - The Prime Minister and president of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Andrej Plenković, on Monday evening again commented on the results of the European Parliament election at which his party won four seats in the EP, saying he did not have complaints about the HDZ slate, platform and campaign, that all county and town HDZ branches would analyse the election results by the end of the week and hat this was only one game but that the championship continued. Asked if the party  would continue to run independently in elections, Plenković said this was…